1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an image display method, and a communications system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Videoconferencing systems or television (TV) conference systems are known in the art as examples of transmission systems to conduct television conferences between multiple terminals via communications networks such as the Internet. In such a TV conference system, image data and audio data collected at one end by a transmission terminal during the TV conference are transmitted to the other end to be received by another transmission terminal. The other the transmission terminal receives the image data and audio data to display the received data on a display or the like as well as outputting sound or voice from a speaker, enabling the transmission terminals to hold the TV conference.
However, data transmission rates via the Internet vary and data transmission delays are not always constant, constantly fluctuating reception bandwidths of the image data and the audio data transmitted and received in the TV conference. The transmission terminals generally incorporate a media control technology to facilitate conversations in unstable reception bandwidths. The media control technology may control the transmission terminals to preferentially receive audio data and not to receive the image data when the reception bandwidths degrade. The number of sets of image data displayed on the transmission terminals will fluctuate; however, display or layout of the image data received from the other end by the transmission terminal depends on a receiving side of the transmission terminal.
Japanese Translation of PCT International Application Publication No. JP-T-2013-531934 (hereinafter called “Patent Document 1”), for example, proposes a technology to determine a layout of a screen displaying the image data received from multiple transmission terminals in accordance with conditions of the transmission terminal. Patent Document 1 discloses a video communications system for changing the layouts in accordance with changes in the system conditions of the transmission terminal.